{"id":127131,"date":"2020-12-04T23:52:53","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T20:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet\/"},"modified":"2020-12-04T23:52:53","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T20:52:53","slug":"restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"#Restaurant staffers shed pounds under chef-prescribed diet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e70ec5b597\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e70ec5b597\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet\/#Cannellini_Bean_Soup_Fasolada\" >Cannellini Bean Soup (Fasolada)\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet\/#Fish_en_Papillote_%E2%80%93_Fish_in_Parchment_Paper\" >Fish en Papillote \u2013 Fish in Parchment Paper<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Restaurant staffers shed pounds under chef-prescribed diet<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>On a warm weekday evening in late November, Nicola Sambazis \u2014 a server at the Midtown West Greek restaurant <a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.loiestiatorio.com\/\">Loi Estiatorio<\/a> \u2014\u00a0handled the bustling outdoor dining scene expertly.<\/p>\n<p>But just four months ago, she said, she would have struggled to keep up.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was morbidly obese and wouldn\u2019t have been able to walk nearly half as much without puffing and panting and my whole body hurting,\u201d the 55-year-old told The Post. \u201cWhen I came on board here in July, chef Loi put me on the road to saving my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chef Loi is Maria Loi, a blond-bobbed superstar in her 60s who is known as the Julia Child of Greece. Instead of waxing poetic on the beauty of butter, however, she touts the health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil. In fact, Loi, the author of cult favorite cookbook \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Greek-Diet-Goddess-Pounds-Weeks-ebook\/dp\/B00H7LZW5I?tag=nypost-20\">The Greek Diet<\/a>,\u201d has made it her life\u2019s work to teach the world about the Mediterranean <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach to eating, which emphasizes plants, nuts, olive oil and seafood as key ingredients.<\/p>\n<p>When the pandemic hit, Loi set out to make her 10 employees, some of whom were dealing with serious ailments, as healthy as possible. \u201cSo many people were getting sick and eating and drinking to excess. As restaurant workers, we were at higher risk for contracting the virus than people who stayed at home,\u201d she said. \u201cFood for me is like medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Nicola Sambazis before and after.\" class=\"wp-image-16742781 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/nicole-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/nicole-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/nicole-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/nicole-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/nicole-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Nicola Sambazis before and after.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With Loi\u2019s guidance, her team \u2014 who she considers family \u2014 have been taking their medicine dutifully.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Loi\u2019s food philosophy focuses on quality ingredients instead of calories, and emphasizes pleasure.\u00a0All staffers begin their shifts by drinking a spoon of her branded extra-virgin olive oil, which costs $25 at Whole Foods. Loi said it strengthens the heart, and while she\u2019s partial to her own, any good quality extra-virgin olive oil will do.<\/p>\n<p>Come mealtime, they have the run of the menu, which Loi \u2014 who arrives at the restaurant at 8 every morning \u2014 helps prepare herself. Staff favorites include the village salad, a mix of tomatoes, red onions, green peppers and feta cheese, and cannellini bean soup or \u201cfasolada\u201d as it\u2019s known in Greek. Fish dishes, including grilled branzino and wild cod en papillote, are also popular.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Cod in parchment paper at Loi Estiatorio.\" class=\"wp-image-16742792 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-cod.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-cod.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-cod.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-cod.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-cod.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Cod in parchment paper at Loi Estiatorio.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Brian Zak\/NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Loi touts a diet that is proven to have numerous benefits, said Dr. Stefanos N. Kales, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who co-hosts talks with her at conferences around the world. \u201cThere is plenty of research indicating that a Greek Mediterranean diet reduces your risk of chronic illnesses, cancer, cardiovascular disease and obesity,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople who follow it live longer, sleep better and have a higher quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her staff all say they\u2019re converts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Maria Loi with her staff.\" class=\"wp-image-16742901 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Maria Loi with her staff.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Brian Zak\/NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Sambazis said that she was 270 pounds, at just 5-foot-4, when she started the job this past summer. Her knees and back ached, she had sleep apnea and was sluggish. \u201cI was miserable,\u201d she said. \u201cMy doctor at Mt. Sinai told me six months ago that I better do something to lose weight and get healthier, and that something turned out to be Maria.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s already lost 24 pounds, and continues to drop more weekly. She\u2019s also sleeping soundly and is largely pain free. \u201cI saw my doctor two weeks ago, and he looked at me twice in amazement.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Many others on the team say they\u2019ve had miraculous results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Chef de cuisine Felipe Teutle, 36, and sous chef Jesus Sandoval, 41, have worked for Loi for eight years. But since the pandemic started, and they ceded their diets to Loi, both men have managed to lose weight and \u2014 to their shock \u2014 control their Type 2 diabetes. Just by eating healthier, they\u2019ve both been able to go off Metformin: a medication that helps stabilize blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n<p>Loi\u2019s co-owner, Alex Antimisiaris, 56, has stopped taking cholesterol medication, lowered his blood pressure and dropped 30 pounds since the spring. He said all of the older men in his family have had heart attacks or suffer from heart disease. \u201cI was at my doctor a few weeks ago, and he looked at me in shock and told me that I had basically escaped my family history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" alt=\"Alex Antimisiaris before and after.\" class=\"wp-image-16742802 lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/alex-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/alex-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/alex-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/alex-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/alex-before-after.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2000 2000w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Alex Antimisiaris before and after.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Loi\u2019s goodwill also reaches a larger community: She delivers meals to numerous hospitals in the city. She does a daily meal pickup for the homeless in the front of her restaurant, stuffing brown paper bags full of the same healthy meals her staff and customers enjoy, including roast chicken and spinach pie.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For Dara Bliss Davenport, the restaurant\u2019s corporate chef and partner in the Loi brand, the diet has benefits that even go beyond the physical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Loi\u2019s] food has also kept me in a good mood during the pandemic, which has been anxiety provoking for so many of us,\u201d said Davenport. \u201cLet\u2019s just say I feel healed and nourished in more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cannellini_Bean_Soup_Fasolada\"><\/span><strong>Cannellini Bean Soup (Fasolada)\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>Ingredients:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 pound dried cannellini beans, or three 15 \u00bd-ounce cans of cannellini beans<\/li>\n<li>8 cups lukewarm water<\/li>\n<li>2 medium red onions, finely chopped, or 1<em> <\/em>large<em> <\/em>white onion, finely chopped<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd cup olive oil<\/li>\n<li>2 celery stalks, chopped<\/li>\n<li>2 carrots, chopped into \u00bc-inch rounds (or however preferred)\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped for garnish (optional)<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Lemon wedges, for garnish to serve<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Cook beans according to package directions. Drain and discard the cooking water.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Return the beans to the pot, add the lukewarm water, and bring to a boil. Add the onions and olive oil to the pot of beans, stirring to combine. Cook the soup over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Stir in the celery, carrots, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Continue to boil over medium heat until the beans and vegetables are tender, another 20 minutes.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Serve the soup garnished with parsley if desired, and with fresh lemon wedges.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Serves 4.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fish_en_Papillote_%E2%80%93_Fish_in_Parchment_Paper\"><\/span><strong>Fish en Papillote \u2013 Fish in Parchment Paper<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><em>Serve with steamed greens and some wild rice for a balanced meal.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Ingredients:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extra-virgin olive oil as needed<\/li>\n<li>2 cups wild greens (such as fresh spinach, Swiss chard, or chicory), rinsed and squeezed dry<\/li>\n<li>1 lemon, thinly sliced<\/li>\n<li>Two 4-ounce portions fish fillet (such as cod, halibut or salmon)<\/li>\n<li>Salt and freshly ground black pepper<\/li>\n<li>6-8 grape or cherry tomatoes<\/li>\n<li>1 garlic clove, thinly sliced<\/li>\n<li>3 sprigs of fresh thyme or an herb of your choice<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Method:<\/em><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0 Fahrenheit.<\/li>\n<li>Line a baking sheet with foil, and drizzle the foil with a little olive oil. Fold a piece of parchment paper in half, center it on top of the foil and place the wild greens on one half of the parchment paper, and arrange the lemon slices on top of the wild greens as a bed for the fish fillets.<\/li>\n<li>Liberally season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and arrange them in a single layer on the lemon slices.\u00a0Top the fish with the tomatoes, garlic and thyme, and drizzle with 5 tablespoons of olive oil.<\/li>\n<li>Fold the parchment over the fish. Crimp the longer edges of parchment paper together to seal. Roll the two shorter edges of the parchment toward the middle so that the fish is fully enclosed in a parchment package.\u00a0Rub a little olive oil on the outside of the parchment paper.<\/li>\n<li>Bake the fish for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the parchment paper puffs up. Serve the fish in their parchment packages for a beautiful presentation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Serves 2.\n            <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/12\/04\/restaurant-staffers-shed-pounds-under-chef-prescribed-diet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Restaurant staffers shed pounds under chef-prescribed diet&#8221; On a warm weekday evening in late November, Nicola Sambazis \u2014 a server at the Midtown West Greek restaurant Loi Estiatorio \u2014\u00a0handled the bustling outdoor dining scene expertly. But just four months ago, she said, she would have struggled to keep up.\u00a0 \u201cI was morbidly obese and wouldn\u2019t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/12\/chef-maria-loi-fasolada-cannellini.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[82641,72688,72689,70977,22512],"class_list":["post-127131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-4-20","tag-celebrity-chefs","tag-chefs","tag-diets","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}